Crime tip? New Bedford police have an app for that

NEW BEDFORD — The Police Department is offering a free "app" for Android or iPhones that allows the public to send in crime tips from their phones.

CURT BROWN

NEW BEDFORD — The Police Department is offering a free "app" for Android or iPhones that allows the public to send in crime tips from their phones.

The phone application, or "app," can be downloaded by searching My Police Department or MyPD in the iPhone or Android marketplace, said Officer Greg R. Demers, who works in the department's Management Information Systems. Once the app is downloaded, users have to navigate to New Bedford Police.

"This police app is a great addition to our department," he said. "We can now push notifications and alerts to the public and they have a variety of ways to contact us and give us feedback. The goal of our MyPD app is to give our public a one-stop app option with plenty of features and to open the lines of communication."

The app allows users to submit crime tips in three categories: drug dealing, general crime and traffic issues.

The tips come to police anonymously and, while users can include their contact information, it isn't required.

"For the public to submit a tip, there's nothing easier, especially if they are out and about," Demers said. "It's not a replacement for 911." 911 is for emergencies, he said.

The app also allows users to email or call detectives, station commanders and the different divisions of the department through its "department contacts" feature, he said.

Users can also make suggestions by using the "Questions and Feedback" option and the app also provides easy links to the department's website and Facebook page.

"It's a pretty simple app. There's a lot you can do with it," Demers said.

There are also options to retrieve information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Service and the National Terror Advisory System as well as links for wanted persons, videos, sex offenders and blog posts.

The department home screen contains a number of features with more located in the bottom menu, which is activated upon touch or swipe.